Preview | Denis Villeneuve is making his way to Dodge College Dec. 4

Denis Villeneuve is coming to Chapman for a Q&A and screening of his hit film “Dune” on Saturday, Dec. 4. WikiCommons

Amid his success in dominating the box office with his hit film “Dune,” Academy Award-nominated director Denis Villeneuve will be joining Chapman students for a live Q&A this Saturday, Dec. 4.

Villeneuve’s appearance will be the second to last session of Master Class Live, which will end with Halle Berry on Saturday, Dec. 11. He will be coming to the Folino Theater following a screening of “Dune,” which starts promptly at 9:30 a.m., to discuss his career with Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter host and Dodge College’s trustee professor. 

“It’s an amazing story that he has, coming from making really indie, small-scale movies in Québec,” Feinberg said. “Good movies but very small scale to suddenly becoming the go-to guy in Hollywood for giant sci-fi epics like ‘Arrival,’ ‘Blade Runner 2049’ and now ‘Dune.’”

Villeneuve is a French Canadian director with an extensive filmography, previously known for his mid-budget films “Sicario” and “Prisoners.” However, after garnering a Best Director Oscar nomination for his alien encounter film “Arrival” starring Amy Adams, he has since directed blockbuster films with triple the budget. 

Despite Villeneuve stating HBO Max set “Dune” up to fail by dropping the title on its streaming service concurrent with its theatrical release, the film has since gone on to cross $100 million at the domestic box office. Warner Bros. also announced “Dune: Part 2” will be released in 2023. 

With excitement brewing around the film school, Jackson Burns, a freshman film production major and student in Feinberg’s class “The Art of the Interview,” said he is highly anticipating being able to finally see “Dune.” He told The Panther he missed his chance to see the film with friends because of a Spanish project he had to finish.

“People keep talking about (‘Dune’), and I’m like, ‘Bro, I can’t join the conversation, because I haven’t seen it yet,’” Burns said. “So I’m extra excited to see (Villenueve) talk, and of course, to watch the movie.”

Tickets for the Saturday Q&A have already sold out, which Feinberg said is a big deal for the Master Class Live series.

“I hope that more and more members of the Chapman community will come out for these (Master Class Live sessions) and take advantage of them,” Feinberg said. “Because they are only going to continue if we feel that we can pack the house for them.”

A sign proudly announcing Villeneuve’s appearance stands in Dodge College’s lobby to remind students and faculty about the upcoming event. Matt Gannon, a junior television writing and production major, said he jumped on tickets as soon as they came out.

“‘Arrival’ is actually one of my favorite movies,” Gannon said. “That was the first movie that I was really excited about and got me interested in the making of movies, and honestly, (it’s) what started my path in screenwriting.”

Feinberg, who is also The Hollywood Reporter’s senior awards analyst, said he predicts “Dune” could walk away with nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay as well as for several below-the-line categories.

“I think (the guests) like the fact that they’re speaking with students,” Feinberg said when asked about the reactions he has received so far from previous speakers. “You can tell that they want to share their experience and wisdom with the next generation of filmmakers.”